


Red Moon (赤月)

by fullmetalhearts



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, Well I mostly wrote this for a history project, but anyway it's not the most shippy but I ship the two main characters, so I'm tagging is as a ship one anyway, so that's why it's kinda short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 02:01:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4985719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalhearts/pseuds/fullmetalhearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukimoto Hajime and Akane Keiji are living in a small town near Vancouver, Canada in the 1930s. Because of their Japanese origin, they are being immensely discriminated against, and they have become best friends to protect each other from harm. </p><p>After Hajime's family was killed, Keiji helped him get through the pain and anger that Hajime felt. Even as they were interned by the government, they still managed to control themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Moon (赤月)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry this summary is so crap I wrote this for an history project idk how to describe it, it's basically about the life of Tsukimoto Hajime (although after I'm using him again as another oc)

Tsukimoto Hajime tumbled through the streets of East End Vancouver, glancing at his watch. He had never been late for work before, and he wasn’t about to start now. Panting, he stopped at “The Vancouver Sun” and caught his breath before walking inside to pick up the stack of newspaper that he was to sell today. He was about the leave when he heard the editor Edward McInnis call him over. He had just been transferred to the Collingwood-Renfrew neighbourhood, which was where he and his best friend lived. He left the office, and after walking a few steps, he broke into a run. As he approached Collingwood, he slowed down in front of none other than his best friend Akane Keiji’s house. After knocking on his door a couple of times, a young man with black hair and almond shaped brown eyes showed up with his younger sister clinging to his leg.

“Hajime-chan! What are you doing here?” Keiji eyed the newspapers in his hand.

“McInnis-san told me that I will be selling newspapers here from now on. Would you like to buy one, Kei-chan?” Hajime held out a copy of the newspaper to his friend, “That will be 5 cents.”

A moment later, Keiji pointed out an article regarding his best friend’s hero, Frederick Banting. “Frederick Banting killed in Newfoundland disaster the morning of February 21, 1942 at the age of 51.” Hajime’s eyes widened as he read through the entire article. 

Two years before he was born, his mother, Tsukimoto Noriko, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. When his mother heard about the successful transfer of insulin to Leonard Thompson on January 11, 1922 , she was ecstatic. Since the treatment was not available in Japan, his parents and older brother Kei had moved from the Miyagi prefecture to the Collingwood-Renfrew neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia. When they arrived in Canada in 1923, when his mother was still pregnant with Hajime, she received her first dose of insulin. Hajime really felt that he owed Banting because of his discovery of insulin that saved his mother’s life as well as his and his younger sister’s lives. He wanted to make it up to Banting and change the world somehow, although he wasn’t sure how exactly. ¬

He exited Keiji’s house and promised to visit again soon, and after his work shift ended, he made his way back to the office to pick up his weekly pay of $1.20. As he walked back home, he thought about his childhood.

*** 

October 29, 1929 – 9 year old Hajime skipped into his house, not knowing what had happened that day. His steps faltered when he saw his mother comforting his father, Tsukimoto Seijuurou. His eyes widened upon learning about the stock market crash and his father getting fired from his job as logger. Now missing a major source of income, his mother told him and his older brother to go find a job. Although his father couldn’t find another job, his mother took up knitting, Hajime became a newspaper boy and Kei became a busboy at a local restaurant. Not wasting even a cent, they managed to save $20 a week, which helped them get through the hardships of the 1930s . Even if their average income was still considerably less than the average, they still managed to stay relatively stable during the Great Depression. However, many people were jealous that a Japanese Canadian family was better off than they were, so they turned on them. At school, Hajime was beat up so much that he had to miss a week of school to recover from his injuries. His friends left him and joined the bullies; Keiji was his only friend who still stayed by his side. His new job resulted in less time for socializing or playing with Keiji and gradually, Hajime’s personality changed from a happy and outgoing child to a cold and distant young man.

***

Ever since the Japanese Imperial Army bombed Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941 , Hajime and Keiji were experiencing more racial discrimination than before. On March 4, 1942 , about 3 months after Japan joined the Second World War; they were helping their mothers prepare dinner when a loud knock was heard at the door.

“Police! Open the door!” a loud voice was heard.

Hajime went to window to make sure it was the police, and, sure enough, there were three officers in front of his house. Not only in front of his house, but also Keiji’s and every other Japanese Canadian household on his street.

“Are you Noriko Tsukimoto?” the officer in the front asked.

After his mother replied, he told us that all people of Japanese origin were to leave the protected region along the coast of British Columbia . There would be a dusk to dawn curfew enforced by the police force . His family was to pack a single suitcase each, and to go to Hastings Park to wait to be relocated . He told that this procedure was for their own safety and that it was legal .

A wave of rage rushed through Hajime: he had been born in Canada and as a citizen he should not be treated like livestock. However, his parents and older brother were not able to hold in their anger for long.

“You officers can’t tell us where we’re supposed to live! You shouldn’t even be an officer if you’re not even protecting your own citizens!! Us Japanese Canadians haven’t even done anything showing our disloyalty to Canada ,” his brother Kei yelled.

“Just who do you think you are, you disloyal scum? You have the audacity to insult an officer?” the officer snarled as he took out his gun. “Let this be a lesson to you dogs.”

Hajime watched in shock as his mother ran in front of his brother as he heard the gunshot. He averted his eyes, and, moments later; his mother’s body lay in the blood. 

“Hajime, I love you. Don’t try to avenge me, it will only cause more trouble.” she managed to choke out.

Tears rolled down his face as he promised his mother that he would protect the rest of his family, but he would never forget what happened. Hajime heard another gunshot and whirled around to see his brother fall to the floor. Growling, his father grabbed the collar of the officer who killed his wife and son and threw a punch. 

“Father!” Hajime yelled, as he tried to pull his father off the officer.

He was too late, and his father’s lifeless body fell with a thump. The officer turned to him and his younger sister, Tsubaki. Hajime could not bear to see his sister die as well, so he swallowed his pride down and bowed his head.

“Sir, I’m sorry. We’ll go with you,” he mumbled.

Inside, emotions of despair and fury swirled around him. He hated the police for killing his family; who was only trying to protect their freedom. What was the government thinking? For their own safety – and legal? That officer was the one who just killed his family. What was safe about the police, the people who were supposed to protect you, killing your family? He, who was born in Canada, should have freedom and equality. Hajime didn’t know what was going to happen to him and the rest of the Japanese Canadians. 

Hajime and Tsubaki left their home after burying their family in makeshift graves. Keiji’s family was shocked when they heard what had happened.

“I’ll definitely help you avenge their deaths!” Keiji said.

Hajime simply shook his head, remembering his promise to his mother. They made their ways to Hastings Park to await their relocation by train . Hajime and Keiji were both scared as they waited. Soon, an officer went up to the Tsukimoto and Akane family to tell them where they would move.

“Hajime Tsukimoto and Keiji Akane, you two will be relocated to a work camp in northern Ontario ,” the officer started. “Tsukimoto Tsubaki, and the rest of the Akane family, you will be relocated to a camp in the interior plains. ” 

“Wait a second, why are we being separated?” Hajime and Keiji protested.

“All men between ages 18- 45 are to work in road or lumber camps , while the women and children are to go to separate camps . You have 5 minutes to say your farewells then you will board the trains,” the officer continued.

Hajime didn’t want what had happened earlier to happen again. Keiji continued to object until Hajime pulled him away and stopped him.

“Kei-chan, I don’t want you to die for talking back to an officer. I wouldn’t be able to live knowing the people closest to me died because of me –,” he urged.  
“It wasn’t your fault, it was the officer’s fault.” Keiji interrupted.

Hajime turned to his sister, “Stay with Keiji’s mom and sister, I’ll find you after all this is done. Stay out of trouble okay?”

She nodded her head, as they embraced for the last time for what would be many years to come. As Hajime and Keiji parted ways from their last remaining family, they wondered how the government could ruin their families so quickly. The two best friends boarded the train and waved goodbye to their loved ones.

After four days of riding in the train, they finally arrived at the Petewawa Internment Camp in Ontario. The shack that Hajime and Keiji shared was barely four to eight meters , with no running water or electricity . When winter came, the walls barely kept out the chilling winter winds and they were lucky they had packed a thick blanket. Every day, a dusk to dawn curfew was enforced and they forced to build roads or cut down trees . Even after the war ended, they were still discriminated against. The government passed a law to deport all Japanese Canadians , and, while Hajime and Keiji were not deported, they had to report back to the RCMP if they travelled more that eighty kilometres from their new home in Ontario . 

After four years, Hajime finally reunited with his sister and they took up residence next to each other. While sharing an apartment with Keiji, he managed to find a decent job and make a new life for himself.


End file.
